I farm: “300 ewes here in Graiguenamanagh. I own about 15ac and I rent about 150ac. The land here in Graiguenamanagh is a mixture of wet and dry land.”
Lambing: “I lamb the ewes in two separate flocks for better management. I leave a month between lambing the flocks – it gives me a chance to have one lot gone out to grass. I have a lot of my February lambs gone to the factory at the moment and the April-born lambs are starting to come on.”
Rams: “I find Suffolk and Texel the best breeds, as they are dual purpose. You have an option with the ewe lamb. They can be used for breeding or you can sell them to the factory.”
Buying lambs: “I am an agent for Irish Country Meats in Camolin. I would be buying lambs off the farmers and getting prices for them from the factory. A farmer would ring me looking for the factory quotes and I try to get them the best price possible. I am a farmer myself, so I try and do as much as I can for other farmers.”
Sheep price: “It has been a fairly good year so far, but it is nothing that wasn’t due, as the man says. We have had a couple of tough years. I got on well at the Borris Ewe Breeders sale on Saturday. My lambs brought €142 each, so I was happy enough with that price.”
Shearing: “I would do some shearing with Adrian Hayden. We would be covering a good bit of south Kilkenny and would shear a couple of thousand sheep in a season.”
Wool: “The price of wool is a disaster – there seems to be no market for it at the moment. I buy wool off farmers as well. My father used to buy wool years ago and I kept it on.”
Family: “I am married to Colette and we have five children, Pierce, Ellen, Rachel, Kitty and Daniel. My eldest son Pierce played hurling with the Kilkenny minors last year. We follow Graiguenamanagh in the local GAA.”
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My Farming Week: Joe Garry, Clonreddan, Cooraclare, Co Clare
My Farming Week: Colin Tyner, Minmore, Shillelagh, Co Wicklow
My Farming Week: Trevor Deacon, Bunclody, Co Wexford
I farm: “300 ewes here in Graiguenamanagh. I own about 15ac and I rent about 150ac. The land here in Graiguenamanagh is a mixture of wet and dry land.”
Lambing: “I lamb the ewes in two separate flocks for better management. I leave a month between lambing the flocks – it gives me a chance to have one lot gone out to grass. I have a lot of my February lambs gone to the factory at the moment and the April-born lambs are starting to come on.”
Rams: “I find Suffolk and Texel the best breeds, as they are dual purpose. You have an option with the ewe lamb. They can be used for breeding or you can sell them to the factory.”
Buying lambs: “I am an agent for Irish Country Meats in Camolin. I would be buying lambs off the farmers and getting prices for them from the factory. A farmer would ring me looking for the factory quotes and I try to get them the best price possible. I am a farmer myself, so I try and do as much as I can for other farmers.”
Sheep price: “It has been a fairly good year so far, but it is nothing that wasn’t due, as the man says. We have had a couple of tough years. I got on well at the Borris Ewe Breeders sale on Saturday. My lambs brought €142 each, so I was happy enough with that price.”
Shearing: “I would do some shearing with Adrian Hayden. We would be covering a good bit of south Kilkenny and would shear a couple of thousand sheep in a season.”
Wool: “The price of wool is a disaster – there seems to be no market for it at the moment. I buy wool off farmers as well. My father used to buy wool years ago and I kept it on.”
Family: “I am married to Colette and we have five children, Pierce, Ellen, Rachel, Kitty and Daniel. My eldest son Pierce played hurling with the Kilkenny minors last year. We follow Graiguenamanagh in the local GAA.”
Read more
My Farming Week: Joe Garry, Clonreddan, Cooraclare, Co Clare
My Farming Week: Colin Tyner, Minmore, Shillelagh, Co Wicklow
My Farming Week: Trevor Deacon, Bunclody, Co Wexford
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